don't know why....

Today, I suddenly felt inspired to start a list of things I want to accomplish before my final trip around the Sun.   Maybe it has to do with the impending change of season. Perhaps it is due to being forced to confront the sheer volume of my possessions and consequently cull them. Not sure.  But here's my list:

Life List

1. RTW trip with David and Lani

2. Hot-air balloon trip

3. iceland! 

4. Live in HI for a year

5. learn to play ukelele

6.learn to sing

7. become fluent in French 

8. Run a marathon

9. Learn to swim

10. Complete a mini triathlon 

*subject to constant additions

** just insert 'with David' next to anything other than 8,9,and 10.  He already swims and probably doesn't want to run a marathon...even with me. 

sometimes it really is the little things

Like these.....
                              

I decided these patterned hose might just be some of my favorite accessories evah! And I can definitely see getting some others as well.  I've become such a slave to the black tights brigade (slimming, warm, goes with everything) that it never even crossed my mind to wear anything else during the daylight hours.  Somehow these flowery stockings ended up in my 'hosiery' bin, and I put them on this morning to celebrate the turn in the weather.  All day I've felt fun and flirty...and gotten a few smiles too!

 I swear it's the magic of the hose.  

I am well into this project now, and have experienced a range of feelings about it.  On the one hand, I enjoy the lack of confusion in my closet: no more digging around to find an article of clothing, no more wondering WHERE that missing piece could be, no more stressing about how recently I may have worn a particular item.  On the other hand, I miss (to a degree) the OPTIONS.  In fact the lack of options is what kept me from posting much recently.  I figured if I was sick of seeing me in jeans and my grey cardigan, you were too.  Go ahead and admit it, I won't be offended.

I also have to confess that I never got to my storage unit to dig out my black pencil skirt and black dress.  Whether it was laziness, or the cold weather or what, I don't know.  I do know that I bought a cute brown dress on Overstock.com, a cuddly sweater dress WITH POCKETS! Oh how I love pockets! I wore it today, and felt so much cuter than I have in weeks.  I'm sure part of my feelings lately are due to the winter doldrums, but putting on something new and fresh felt SO good!   I paired it with black tights, black riding boots, and my brown scarf....I can see this dress becoming a favorite, and in the fall, it will probably fit my daughter. So that's a win on the reuse portion of the 3R's .

I may do a mid-season assessment of how my items are working out for me, in the next few days or so.  the weather here will start warming up soon, and I may need to make some swaps. But we'll see how that goes.   I can see with certainty though, one huge benefit of this project has been how conscious I am of my weight...I NEED to be able to fit into my clothes in order to wear them, and when you only have 33 items to play with, that's a commitment to weight control right there!

Domino Effect...

No new pictures today.  I'm thinking of slowing the picture posting down a bit and maybe doing a recap of the week's looks on Sundays.  It's getting difficult to find the whole minute to get my picture snapped each day. No, seriously it is.  But that's not really what I wanted to write about today. Topic du jour is: Other areas in my life that Project333 is affecting.

You see, this month in addition to clearing out my closet and dresser, I am also clearing out my house to make way for my new tenant.  Trouble is I currently live a 2.5 hour drive from that house. And I'm in school full-time, 5 days a week.  Add in that I share a vehicle with my mother and have an 11 year old to get to and from grade school each day (no bus service..grr) and it gets a bit stressful.  My weekends end up being a whirlwind of driving, cleaning, sorting, purging, packing. The result of all this is me, (usually) collapsing in a tearful, exhausted heap, overwhelmed by the amount still left to do.

I have A LOT of stuff. Albeit useful interesting stuff, but still A LOT.  Books alone number in the hundreds. Add in my other hobbies and interests and the body count mounts. Oh, did I mention I have a kid?  Any of you who have children are well aware of how much STUFF comes into your life when that bundle of joy arrives.  Any of who don't have kids, and think that you can really control what people will give you (or give to said child directly...often surreptitiously because you've already explained eleventy million times that you really don't have room/space/any desire for xxxxx item(s) ) well, you're kidding yourself.  You will be thwarted, ignored, countermanded at every turn by loving, well-meaning relatives and friends.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for every hand-me-down, and gift we've gotten over that last decade.  The generosity we have received has kept Lani clothed and amused for all of her 11 years. But  WOW!  Cleaning-out/packing up her room yesterday was exhausting.  Luckily, she is a pretty savvy kid.  When I showed her the car this morning, still filled with what I brought out of her room, she completely agreed it would be best to sort through and donate any unused/outgrown/unneeded items to friends, the local Goodwill, and our other favorite the Seton Center (a local group of nuns who serve the poor in our area).

What I am trying to keep in mind, focus on, and cling to to keep me sane in all of this, is that I don't really NEED so much stuff.  But it is hard...I look at all my crafting supplies and think of how happy it makes me to make cards. Or at my fabric stash, and how much I enjoy sewing. Or even all my kitchen equipment and how I love to cook for friends and family. How I love to create menus and develop new recipes.  I truly do need a certain amount of equipment to accomplish that.

I am hoping that by clearing out all but what I really love, use, and have room for, I'll create space in my life to get back to doing all those things.  Because sadly, even though I do derive so much happiness from my hobbies and interests I do not have space to pursue them.  Ironic I guess, but probably not unique.

So here's to the idea that Project333 is infiltrating my brain, and will help me tame these other areas as well.

How about you? How is this project affecting other areas of your life?

The things you realize....

...when you blog.  One thing I've realized is that I need to step a-way from the table.  As my old high school bio teacher used to say, "just push away, push away!" .   Seeing myself in photos everyday is both interesting and horrible. On the one hand,  I am enjoying seeing the outfits, and noting how I can improve my look. On the other hand, ay yi yi!  Can anyone say Jenny Craig?  Yeah, I know, compared to a lot of my fellow Americans I am a petite treat, but I would be much happier if less of my personal real estate was in those photos.  Jus'Sayin!

Snow boots,

black pants

snowflake cardi

black drape neck top

Sheltie/Pom mix

Tomorrow is supposed to be snowy as well.   Oh goody.  Have my ensemble planned, with lots of color because I'm starting to feel like a Sicilian widow with all my black and grey.  

Blog Break Over!

Yeah, so it's a been a couple of weeks since I wrote anything.  But I've not fallen off the Project 333 wagon...quite the opposite.

See, I took a trip to NYC with the Man, and as he has a tiny awesome car, I had to pack light.  Which, by the way I was in the process of doing when he announced we wouldn't be driving INTO the city, but instead would park in Jersey and take the Path Train in and then walk to our accommodation.  10 Blocks. In the freezing cold.  After Dark.  Yeeeee-aaaaaahhhhhh.    So I started UN-Packing.  Did you know you can spend a week in Manhattan and get by with ONE pair of black pants, ONE pair of jeans and 3 shirts? Add in a cardigan, and a couple of scarves and you're pretty much set. I did take two pair of boots, one flat and one with a heel.  Our days  were mostly spent walking, eating, window shopping, eating, walking some more, having wine, eating, walking, and having long talks about where we would eat the next day.  See a theme?  We did have a couple of occasions to look nice: 1. Taping of the Jon Stewart Daily Show (FUN) 2. Dinner at our favorite Upper West Side Resto  3. A fantastic party at Ace Hotel on 29th.   Still, I got by with just what I'd brought. Those black pants got a workout! I did also pack a very cute hat I got for Christmas, and my mostest favorite hat--the one with fake fur and earflaps.  Turns out that second one was THE ONE to have in Manhattan!  All the fashionistas were wearing them.  I felt so deliciously stylish!  Man said I looked like a Russian Motorcycle Cop in the hat, boots and leather jacket.  I'm taking that as a compliment.

This week is Back-To-School week for me.  Spring Semester started on Monday, and I'm already overwhelmed with reading and papers, but my new pared down closet is making mornings less stressful.  I know whatever I grab will fit, go together, and be weather/lifestyle appropriate.  Today's ensemble is pictured below.  In addition to classes, I had to (wo)man the French Club table at the Student Activity Fair, so wanted to look particularly chic.  I think I achieved my goal.

Turquoise Sweater Dress

Blue silk scarf

Black tights

Black HH Boots

It's currently snowing gangbusters, so tomorrow's look will definitely be more casual! 

No school today due to snow and ice...mostly ice. So we had a pretty casual day.  Took down the Xmas tree, packed up the decorations, vacuumed approximately 4 million pine needles off the rug.  Movies, reading, hanging out.  All in all a very nice day.

One thing that kept running through my head though, was a comment (several actually) made to me  recently.  I was talking about Project333 and how excited I was to be starting this, and she said something along the lines of "oh sure, YOU"LL really be able to do that!  you with all the shoes and how you always need to look nice".  Bear in mind, this person wears sweat pants 90% of the time.

I have discovered that I am really bothered by hearing that people think I'm shallow or materialistic.  I'm neither actually.  I do like looking nice....well dressed, groomed, appropriate.  But I don't crave the latest trend, nor do I spend frivolously.  I tend to buy classics, and keep them forever.  That's why I have a large wardrobe.  Not because I buy randomly, but because I buy well made timeless pieces.  I have always purged the closet at the end of each season, and sometimes at the beginning as well. I don't keep things that don't fit, or are worn out.  But I will keep a particularly sentimental piece now and then.
At any rate, I was rankled by this comment.  I'm not sure exactly why...still working on that.

Here's today's outfit,

Grey Scoop Neck Sweater

Dark Boot Cut Jeans

Black HH Boots

Perfect for Happy Hour with sister and friends.